Man Shot and Killed at Midtown Manhattan Subway Station; NYPD Hunts Armed Suspect
A man was shot dead Saturday afternoon at the 7th Avenue station at 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan after an argument on the northbound platform, police said. The suspect, described as wearing a red tracksuit, a black puffer vest and a black balaclava, is armed and still at large.
NEW YORK — A man was shot and killed Saturday afternoon at the 7th Avenue subway station at 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, after an argument on the northbound platform turned deadly, the New York Police Department said.
The shooting happened at 12:21 p.m., the NYPD said. An E train had pulled into the station and opened its doors moments before the gunfire. A witness told the New York Post he heard two shots about eight seconds apart as riders on the crowded platform ran.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead there, sources told the Post. Police said the man had been in a dispute on the platform with the gunman and a second person, and NYPD Deputy Chief Keith Shine said the details of the argument were not yet clear.
Suspect at large, described as armed and dangerous
Police have not recovered the weapon, and the NYPD warned that the suspect at large is armed and dangerous. Security footage shows him last seen wearing a red tracksuit, a black puffer vest and what appeared to be a black balaclava.
Investigators say the shooting was targeted rather than random. "Nothing random between these two individuals," an NYPD spokesperson said at the scene, according to the Post.
Bystanders tried to help before emergency crews arrived. Mauricio Marroquin, who was on his way home to Queens after a morning shift as a breakfast attendant, told the Post that several people surrounded the victim, with one performing chest compressions and another holding the man's hand.
Seventh transit murder this year
The killing was the seventh murder in the New York City transit system so far this year, the Post reported. That is up 75 percent from the four transit murders recorded over the same period last year, according to NYPD figures.
MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper said in a statement that guns have no place in transit and that the agency supports New York State's legal fight to keep it illegal to carry firearms in the subway system. He said the MTA had been coordinating with the NYPD from the start and that those responsible would be tracked down.
Police continue to search for the suspect.
Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post.
